Tigres has reached the final of the 2015 Copa Libertadores. Beating one of Brazil's most well-known sides, Internacional, along the way. In what was a spirited match by the Mexican side, Inter could just not cope with Los Felinos in front of a sold out crowd at El Volcan Football Stadium in Nuevo Leon Mexico.
Los Felinos lost 2-1 in the first leg match in Brazil. A match that saw Andres D‘Alessandro open the scoring for the Brazilian team. Inter’s Valdivia made it 2-0 in the first half, before the Mexican team settled into play and managed to pull one back through Hugo Ayala, before he was sent off for too many yellows.
Tigres came out roaring in the 2nd leg though, with Gignac scoring in the 17th minute.
The new signing scored a great header, outmuscling Inter defenders in route to tying the aggregate scoreline. Gignac proved to be a menace throughout the match and continued to win over Tigres fans with another great performance. Los Felinos continued to pile on the pressure, eventually forcing an own goal in the 41st minute that would put them ahead 2-0 (3-2 in the aggregate scoreline). It’s never great to score an own goal, and this one could have been prevented.
Geferson was the culprit; it was a ridiculous own goal to have scored. Tigres sent a cross into the area and with a player lurking behind him, instead of clearing it to the side, Geferson tried to pass it back towards Becker, Inter’s goalkeeper, or at least that’s what it looked like. Well, sure enough, the pass had so much power that it went over Becker and into the net as he looked on in distress.
Midfielder Egidio Arevalo scored the last one for Mexico with a diving header, putting the game out of reach for Internacional...
...or so everyone thought.
As Tigres cruised towards the end of the match, Inter surprised everyone by pulling a goal back in the 89th minute through Lisandro Lopez. With the aggregate scoreline at 4-3, keeping the away goals rule in mind, Inter needed one more goal to send themselves to the final against River Plate. It was a little too late for the Brazilian team; their last goal proved to be more of a consolation than anything else. Tigres deservedly won the match.
With the win against Internacional and a place in the final, can Tigres become the first Mexican team to win the Copa Libertadores? Dont miss the final between Mexico’s Tigres and Argentina's River Plate on August 5th.
